


Not a Monster

by Tarlan



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-25 08:48:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2615651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As far as Matt was concerned, Tripp was not a monster. He didn't deserve this.<br/><b>SPOILER for The Vampire Diaries 6.07</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	Not a Monster

Matt looked on in horror as the smirk on Tripp's face morphed into terror. The gash opened up across his throat and Matt grabbed hold of Tripp, easing him to the ground in shocked disbelief. He watched as the life began to fade from Tripp's eyes, knowing instinctively who had done this, and why. Payback... but it wasn't right.

Tripp was not a psychopath. He didn't kill for power or money or pleasure. He simply believed it was the only way to protect those he loved after his own wife was murdered by a vampire, drained and discarded like a used blood bag. Matt had seen enough innocent blood spilled over the years to understand that desire. He knew from bitter experience that more vampires were cold-blooded killers like Enzo and Damon than were like Caroline and Alaric. Even Stefan was no saint, having murdered plenty of innocent people when the blood lust overtook him.

All Tripp had wanted was to keep people safe, so Matt could no more hate Tripp for his actions than he could hate Alaric, Jeremy, or himself from before they started seeing some vampires as friends rather than monsters.

He couldn't save Tripp... but Caroline could. There was still time. Four minutes before the brain died from lack of oxygen.

"What are you doing?" Caroline called out as Matt hefted Tripp over his shoulder and carried him back across the town boundary.

"You have to save him," he demanded of her, trying to staunch the wound. "Please."

"Matt-."

"Please," he begged.

Time was running out. The blood was draining out of Tripp fast, leaving Matt's fingers slicked, and Tripp's eyes were already glazed over in death. Caroline was shaking her head, still holding onto her mom, so the muttered curse and sudden appearance of Enzo crouched down beside him took Matt by surprise.

"I'm beginning to wonder if I can do anything right," Enzo muttered again as he bit into his own wrist and forced the blood into Tripp's mouth.

For a moment Matt thought it was too late but then he saw a feeble attempt to swallow through the ruined throat and heard the first ragged, indrawn breath as the wound began to slowly close. Life returned to Tripp's dazed eyes before his focus sharpened in fear. Matt let go as Tripp began to scrabble away from them all, his eyes never leaving Enzo.

"You know what's wrong with this picture?" Enzo stated nonchalantly, head cocked to one side like a predator toying with its prey while watching Tripp scrambling backwards away from him.

Enzo moved so fast that he was upon Tripp before anyone could stop him, and the sound of Tripp's neck snapping shocked Matt more than seeing an invisible knife slice open Tripp's throat.

"Now that's better," Enzo murmured, smiling in satisfaction. "One less hunter."

Enzo walked away leaving the broken body behind, and it took Matt a moment to realize what Enzo had done. Going over the line had stripped away all magic from Tripp, turning him from vampire back to human, and killing him all over again. Bringing him back across the line hadn't restored him as a vampire because he'd been dead - technically - just like Tyler.

One less hunter, Enzo had said, because dying after having ingested vampire blood would make Tripp a vampire once more; a different kind of death sentence.

Caroline cast him a regretful look as she helped her mother into the car and Matt watched Stefan drive them away, leaving him alone with Tripp's undead body. With a sigh Matt knew he had asked for this responsibility when he begged them to spare Tripp, and that hadn't changed whether Tripp was human or vampire. He went back for his car and drove it across the town border, bundling Tripp into the back seat before heading back to the building where they had held and tortured Tripp. The chains would still be there along with the small supply of fresh blood bags that Tripp had used to keep his vampire captives alive long enough to give away the whereabouts of others of their kind.

As far as Tripp was concerned, all vampires were monsters. All Matt had ever wanted was to figure out a way to prove to Tripp that he was wrong. At least now they both had time on their side.

END  
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